Stone Column

Pearl Abrasive's new VX10.2XLPRO Tile Saw is made for the professional. It is designed to cut tile, porcelain, granite tiles, marble tiles and more. The machine is engineered to rip cut a 24-inch tile and diagonal cut an 18-inch tile.

Last year, Judge Janis Graham Jack of the Federal District Court in Corpus Christi, TX, questioned the validity of several thousand silica claims that were before her. And in the wake of this questioning, it was found that about 65% of the plaintiffs had also filed claims for asbestos in the past. In a harshly worded decision, Judge Jack, a former nurse, declared that many of the medical findings in the silicosis lawsuit before her were worthless and that they had been â€œmanufactured for money.â€ She remanded the lawsuit to state courts, and since then, more than half of those 10,000 silica claims have been dismissed - most of them voluntarily by the law firms that filed them.

We all know that the increase in natural stone consumption in the U.S. has been remarkable over the past few years. The use of stone products - particularly in a slab format - has been exploding, as homeowners are considering granite kitchen countertops to be a staple of their residential projects. However, rise in slab consumption - coupled with the increase in new companies dealing with slabs - has led to a major issue that our industry needs to face: SAFETY.

In this month's issue of Stone World, check out an article on how government agencies are teaming with stone industry professionals to provide safe work environments. Also check out some features on quartz surfacing.